SAMVOA Regional Chairmen Appointments

NATIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT

SAMVOA Regional Chairmen Appointments

Melbourne, Australia –
Wednesday 9 November 2016

Veteran Tony Macquet MMM, National Chairman SAMVOA: It is my great pleasure to announce the Regional Chairmen appointments for the Queensland and Western Australia branches of SAMVOA. A warm welcome and congratulations to Shaun Winson (Queensland) and Dave Stevenson (Western Australia).
I would like to thank both Veteran Garth Pienaar of Western Australia and Veteran Gordon Pugh of Queensland, for the unselfish and dedicated work they have performed as Chairmen of their respective Regions. Both Members started off as almost strangers to me, but have become firm friends, which I firmly believe is important in what we are trying to achieve in SAMVOA. There is no doubt that their Regions, and SAMVOA as a whole, have been extremely fortunate to have leaders of their calibre, ability and dedication to build up these Regions as they did.

Both have recently stepped down from their appointments for similar reasons, but they are not lost to SAMVOA. Instead, they transition to “Immediate Past Regional Chairmen” status, acting as support to their successors, should they need the resident expertise and advice. This they have agreed to do in the interests of SAMVOA and both Garth and Gordon are confident that their respective incumbents will bring new energy and thinking to their leadership roles.

To both Shaun and Dave, I look forward to working with you both to grow our vibrant organisation even further and I am sure that your passion and expertise will be of great benefit to SAMVOA and SAMVOINT globally. I am sure that the National Executive and the Members will join me in congratulating you on your new appointments and we assure you of our full support going forward.

Regional Chairman Queensland:
Veteran Shaun Winson

A bit about Shaun:
1980: Shaun immigrated to South Africa from Rhodesia.
1986: Shaun was called up to the Navy where he completed basic training, but soon after, due to his aircraft technical background, was seconded to Air Force Station (AFS) Snake Valley (1 Air Depot). However, he wasn’t satisfied with the challenges offered at Snake Valley and was subsequently posted to
15 Squadron at Air Force Base (AFB) Durban, as an aviation tech on the Alouette III helicopters (Chopper 60).
1986 – 1987: Shaun carried out 2 tours of duty at AFB Ondangwa.
Shaun joined SAMVOA in 2015 and he believes steadfastly in the organisation and is committed to upholding its vision and mission, to the benefit of all ex-servicemen and women.
Shaun is married to Nicolette and they have two sons, Neil (24) and Jonathon (20). Neil is a full Heritage Member of SAMVOA.

Regional Chairman Western Australia:
Veteran Dave Stevenson

A bit about Dave:
1984: Dave commenced his National Service at Personnel Services Corps after completing his BComm.
He subsequently volunteered for 1 Parachute Batallion and earned his wings in December 1984, completing Section Leader’s course in early 1985.
1985 – 1986: Dave was deployed to the townships in mid-1985, followed by a tour of duty to Owamboland (Sector 10) with 53 BN before completing his service in late 1985.
Dave did a number of camps with 3 Parachute Battalion (44 Parachute Brigade) where he was part of the leader group until May 1991, including two “Ops Iron Eagle” training deployments.

Dave was awarded the “Best National Serviceman” title for his intake, which was a rare occurrence as this did not happen for every intake. A prestigious award presented to those ultimately worthy of recognition.

Dave joined SAMVOA in July 2014 and he also established the “Outback Canopy” in December 2014, a SAMVOA sub-group for all airborne qualified veterans living in Australia and New Zealand. The group has around 130 members and Dave has a particular interest in airborne operations and the history of parachute regiments and engagements. He is also an avid supporter of charities in aid of PTSD sufferers.

Dave has held a number of senior executive positions within the Information Technology industry, including Chief Information Officer and Chief Operations Officer. Over the past 10+ years, he has concentrated on the Mining and Oil & Gas sectors, focusing on the use of computer technology to enable these organisations to make a step change and transform their operations.

Dave moved to Perth in January 2013 and lives in Wembley Downs with his wife Lisa and their two daughters – Savannah (15) and Georgia (12).

As an additional bit of interest, Dave’s father was born in Scotland and was in active service in the Royal Air Force from 1940 – 1945. He attained the rank of Sergeant and was awarded the Defence Medal and the War Medal.